Fite me

"Tristan" (casselts) 01/02/2019 at 01:01 • Filed to: None

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They’re needlessly complicated, expensive to repair, and they provide about half of the light of a halogen headlight. I’ve never driven a vehicle with HIDs and had a thought other than “these headlights are shit”, and I’ve never had a car with HIDs drive towards me and had a thought other than “those are l ike a laser beam straight to my cornea ”.

I’m tal king OEM setups here, too- not the Chinesium eBay plug-n-spray conversions. Those are a whole different set of peeves.

Nick Has an Exocet > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:13

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I’ve still not owned a car with them, but to be honest, I’m over it. I’m straight on to LEDs and lasers.

atfsgeoff > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:17

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HID’s days are numbered anyway, LEDs are more power efficient and less complex i.e. cheaper to produce and easier to package.

wafflesnfalafel > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:21

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agree - honestly, decent halogen projectors work perfectly fine and can look awesome.  If I need more I’ll mount an aftermarket LED.  The laser cannon is for dealing with people that cut me off, right?  pew pew

Tristan > atfsgeoff 01/02/2019 at 01:22

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But I buy 10+ year old  cars at the bottom of the depreciation curve, so I'm just starting to experience the hateful things.

Tristan > Nick Has an Exocet 01/02/2019 at 01:25

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I’ve yet to experience a car with LEDs, but I can’t say I’ve had an experience where I didn’t love LEDs from residential use to flashlights. They’re simple,  bright, efficient and last forever. What’s not to love?

AestheticsInMotion > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:27

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My aftermarket LED headlights have been phenomenal. GE knows their shit.

I wish I had some LED cornering lights for high speed stuff at night in the mountains though... 

Tristan > AestheticsInMotion 01/02/2019 at 01:33

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My experience has been with the in-laws TSX, which has okay HIDs, my old V70, which also had okay HIDs, my GLI which has shitty broken HIDs because Volkswagen, and my wife's RAV4 which may as well not even have headlights. It's downright dangerous to drive at night, and it's been that way since new.

AestheticsInMotion > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:44

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I don't know if I've driven any HID equipped cars for an extended period. Or any cars with good OEM headlights for that matter... Silverado would be alright, but the massive blindspots from the monstrous hood make it hard to give the headlights a fair ratimg

DipodomysDeserti > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:45

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Only car I’ve owned with  HIDs was a 335d which had motors on the headlights that turned the lights with the front wheels. Best headlights I’ve ever owned.

Svend > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 01:59

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I’ve Bi-xenons on mine with LED DRLs and indicators on the front, LED rear side lights and regular bulb reversing and rear indicator.

Early on the morning the front DRLs can be blinding just by themselves.

I do like watching the headlights in the morning from inside as they go ab out their thing of turning on, rolling up and down, then outwards and inwards, level off then flick out and in again. It’s like a three second light show.

Tristan > AestheticsInMotion 01/02/2019 at 02:01

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I know I’ll catch flak for saying it, but a properly aimed sealed beam setup with ample voltage and good grounds can’t be beat. I’m entirely happy with my XJ’s lights after I rewired them. My ‘93 F150 lightning had good lights, too. My grandma’s ‘95 Buick Century had probably the best lights I'd ever experienced, but that's looking back through the lens of about 15-17 years.

Tristan > DipodomysDeserti 01/02/2019 at 02:04

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My GLI has motors that are supposed to keep the lights level. I think they're borked, and the right light likes to flick on and off randomly. I'll look into it once my garage is squared away, but I'm pretty disgusted to have to troubleshoot and diagnose a system that should be a bulb and some wire.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 02:51

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I completely agree! If it wasn’t for the HID headlights, I wouldn’t be worried about my TSX being totalled because the flippin headlight costs  $585.

Tristan > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 01/02/2019 at 04:12

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I’ve got an NC Miata with front end damage that I wouldn't have taken on if the headlights were ruined. They were something like $600 apiece to replace. That's nuts!

AestheticsInMotion > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 05:03

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Hmmm clearly you’ve been away from NA Miatas too long

I still wake up in a cold sweat remembering those "high" beams attempting to light the way

diplodicus forgot his password > AestheticsInMotion 01/02/2019 at 06:29

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If I'm not in a Silverado then I hate Silverado headlights. Directly in my eyes.

Ash78, voting early and often > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 08:15

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I’m skipping them just like I (mostly) skipped compact fluorescent light bulbs in my house. A stopgap measure while we wait for LEDs to finally come into their own....and right now, it seems like LEDs are mostly silly decorative items on most cars. Only the nicer ones have proper LED headlights.

I’m excited about the lower power usage, cheaper replacements, etc. HIDs seemed like a really expensive option to me and I agree -- the harsh cutoff lines and offensive color temperatures did nothing for me, especially as an oncoming driver.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 08:48

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I disagree. I have a four year old Honda with halogens, can’t see shit when they’re on. The older Land Rover with HIDs can light up a ball park. Maybe you’re just experiencing bad HIDs. 

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Ash78, voting early and often 01/02/2019 at 08:50

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I loved and miss CFL bulbs sooo  LEDs make my eyes hurt because I can see the flicker. 

Ash78, voting early and often > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 01/02/2019 at 09:04

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I can see the flicker with Christmas LEDs and car LEDs, but the home ones don’t give me any trouble. I’m not sure why...maybe the plastic bulb/ shrouds help diffuse the flickering a bit.

I know earlier generation home LEDs were a lot worse than the current batch. If you haven’t tried them in a while, they’re worth a shot. I’ve got about 30 of them around the house, the power savings were immediate (they paid for themselves in less than 6 months).

CompactLuxuryFan > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 09:10

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For some years the case may have been made that projector halogens were overall the best solution for people who mostly drove in a well lit city. Beyond that, this is just nonsense. Reflector halogens are just hateful in 2019, and the only manufacturer that ever embraced projector ones was Hyundai/Kia. They even look way worse!

Any factory xenons easily light better and cut a cleaner beam than halogens. Once you’ve had adaptive bixenons that light up curves as you go, you can’t go back. I don’t think anybody ever offered adaptive halogens?

Even now I’d say xenons are still above LEDs in the lighting order, but LEDs are *way* cheaper and don’t draw as much power. As with halogens, projector LEDs also need to die (BMW please!). 

Monkey B > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 01/02/2019 at 09:23

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how about aftermarket? 

Tristan > AestheticsInMotion 01/02/2019 at 10:00

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When I had my last NA I had a late night commute through a lot of twisty back roads... I can't say I remember the headlights being bad. I had some near-misses with deer and one bear, but never hit anything!

Tristan > Ash78, voting early and often 01/02/2019 at 10:05

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CFLs were always horrible. Slight electrical savings at the cost of a bulb that generates a shitload of waste, some of which was toxic. And they didn't last much longer than incandescents. 

Ash78, voting early and often > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 10:08

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I hate hate hated them 100%. I think we owned 5-6 of them, ever. And most of them ended up just being used for outside/porch lights because we couldn’t stand the warmup times and bad color temperatures inside. I feel bad for people who spend tons of money on those pressurized mercury bombs.

Tristan > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 01/02/2019 at 10:08

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A Toyota, an Acura, a Volkswagen and a Volvo. Apparently HIDs fall under the narrow scope of things Land Rover can make properly?

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 10:16

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I think all modern lights are too bright, its fucking rediculous and totally blinds you from across the highway in a few spots I go. It’s worse in the rain, there is no reason for lo beams to be that bright. 

Mercedes Streeter > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 10:17

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Like with the Halogen beams in many cars (see the recent studies about how much lights suck in American cars) , sometimes manufacturers also manage to screw up HIDs. The $30 aftermarket HIDs in my daily smart can challenge a freight train for how much light they can shoot down range. The $40 LEDs I have in my 2016 smart are about on par, but with less glare and more defined light pattern.

Likewise, I’ve driven a few new cars with factory HIDs and they were even better than my smart. I’ve also driven cars with factory HIDs that were worse than the Halogens of a well used rental car. So with all things, your mileage may vary!

Mercedes Streeter > Ash78, voting early and often 01/02/2019 at 10:18

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You can actually get legit drop in replacement LED bulbs for cars now. My 2016 smart had a pair of Auxbeam H4 LEDs from Amazon. They work way better than any HID or Halogen I’ve ever had and I love them so much I shoehorned them into my Honda Rebel right before I sold it.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Mercedes Streeter 01/02/2019 at 11:03

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What are your favorite aftermarket LED bulbs?

Textured Soy Protein > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 11:19

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With the exception of the mediocre HIDs on my old Mazdaspeed 6, every car I’ve had with them, the headlights have been at least above average.

Halogens can be good too but many cars with them have terrible beam patterns that no upgraded bulbs can improve. 

Textured Soy Protein > Ash78, voting early and often 01/02/2019 at 11:19

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My wife’s CX-5 has full LED headlights and it’s only the mid-level Touring trim.

Ash78, voting early and often > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2019 at 11:22

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Glad you pointed that out — lighting has always been one of Mazda’s “things”

I believe the first-gen Mazda 3 was the first compact to ever offer HIDs back in the early 2000s. It’s a big selling point for them.

Mercedes Streeter > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 01/02/2019 at 11:24

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I have some cheap Auxbeam ones I got off Amazon. I was skeptical because they were $40, but they’ve been absolutely solid for me. My 453 probably isn’t the best example since it hardly gets driven enough to even put wear on Halogen beams, but I was very impressed with their performance in the Honda Rebel I used to have.

Textured Soy Protein > Ash78, voting early and often 01/02/2019 at 11:25

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My 2006 Mazdaspeed 6 had HIDs with mediocre beam coverage and a height adjustment switch on the dash where even the highest setting was aimed too low. It was also a massive rustbucket and had every possible interior rattle imaginable.

Granted my wife’s CX-5 is only a few months old, but our experience with it so far has been that Mazda quality has come a long way over the past 10 years. 

Ash78, voting early and often > Textured Soy Protein 01/02/2019 at 11:30

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I’m surprised you came back to the brand...I’m a lot less forgiving than most people. Not that they can’t improve, but that I don’t want to reward the brand again. 

Textured Soy Protein > Ash78, voting early and often 01/02/2019 at 12:57

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That car did sour me on Mazdas, especially of that era, to the point where I usually warned people off them if they mentioned they were considering one.

But generally if I have a bad experience with some brand of product, that’s not enough to sour me on the brand entirely. I f they make new stuff that’ s genuinely better than whatever I had a bad experience with, I’m willing to give it a shot.

In the case of the CX-5, it was the best car for us in the segment. We’ll see how it holds up over time, but so far, I can say it is in fact a nice car.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Monkey B 01/02/2019 at 13:23

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If I fix it (well have a shop fix it for me) I probably would go that route but we’ll see what insurance says, if anything in the next week or 4

Tristan > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 01/02/2019 at 15:33

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They’re blinding to oncoming traffic, yet I can't see shit when I'm driving them.

Monkey B > dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford 01/02/2019 at 17:22

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with aftermarket you may be able to get 2 for the price of less than one, helpful if the other is oxidized. The shop would rather have the job lkely so tell them your OK with aftermarket or LKQ/used. Then again, the estimate may already be LKQ or aftermarket based on the age of the car. Push for the fix without having to go the rebuilt title buyback mess.

Nick Has an Exocet > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 17:42

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They can be too direct/bright. Unless they are properly diffused, they can be kind of annoying for some things.

Though another good point for them: low power at relatively low heat.

BigBlock440 > Tristan 01/02/2019 at 22:30

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I can slap a LED or Halogen spotlight on the front of my car and light up a ballpark too, doesn’t mean it would make for a good headlight for public roads.

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > Monkey B 01/02/2019 at 23:58

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that’s the idea and we are already using used parts for some of it

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Tristan 01/05/2019 at 16:53

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https://www.iihs.org/iihs/news/desktopnews/night-vision-headlights-improve-but-base-models-leave-drivers-in-the-dark

There a lot of shit headlights